Without a doubt the three most overlooked small kitchen appliances would have to be the:
1. An ice cream maker
2. The popcorn machine
3. A grain mill
Before you rush out and purchase one or more of these appliances, it helps to know what you can expect to find. Be sure to have a look online, even if you do not intend buying your appliance from an online website. Online research of appliances you're interested in will help you to discover what other customers have to say about the appliance. Whether you choose to shop online or not is your choice, although it does have distinct advantages. Take a look at the following three appliances:
1. The Cuisinart ICE-100 Compressor
This is the ICE-50BC, only better. Among the advantages is the fact that the drive system is no longer on the overhead arm, but is now situated below the bowl. Due to this improvement, the Cuisinart ICE-100 Ice Cream Maker looks much like the Lello unit, which happens to be more expensive. Your ICE-100 also comes with newly designed gelato and ice cream paddles. You are basically getting a 2-for-1 deal.
That being said there are some disadvantages you might wish to consider. If noise is a problem for you, the motor that drives the paddles will be also! Some people aren't bothered by that, but others are.
Cleaning the Cuisinart ICE-100 couldn’t be easier, although removing the paddles from the bowl can prove to be a bit on the tricky side. However, you need to bear in mind that this is a new product and finding parts is not easy. Exercise care with the individual parts to avoid having a replacement problem.
2. Great Northern Popcorn Machine
There is more to the Great Northern Popcorn Machine than initially meets the eye. The pre-packaged popcorn packs are also rather impressive. In fact, they claim that the popcorn tastes the same as movie theater popcorn, and many satisfied customers would agree. As with any method or machine that you use to make your popcorn, this machine will also not pop every single kernel.
You need to be a bit careful not to get burned, because there isn't much space above the kettle. Cleaning the unit is a bit awkward, all because you need to keep the kettle from being immersed in water. Another thing to consider is that the unit is large and will need ample counter-top space. If you choose to make your own popcorn recipes you will likely find that things don’t turn out quite as well as when you use the prepackaged mix.
3. The Lequip Nutrimill Grain Mill
There has been quite a lot of hype surrounding the Lequip Nutrimill Grain Mill and its wider range of settings, and the fact that it can be stopped and started. However, you might well find that the improved range of settings is not such a big deal after all.
You will find that customer reviews of this product are varied. It is undeniable that this machine is very well made, it is a powerful machine, and it is fast. Unfortunately, using it can produce quite a mess to clean up, because it tends to blow flour everywhere. Flour will get into the machine and some of the parts are impossible to clean, which will no doubt cause problems later on.
